LPOSD evaluating safety protocols

SANDPOINT — School halls are set to be a little safer with both immediate improvements and planned upgrades to facilities and technology in place.

Since the Sandy Hook tragedy in December, school districts around the country have been reevaluating their safety protocols, and local schools are no exception. Shortly after the new year, district superintendent Shawn Woodward directed department heads to investigate potential improvements for local school facilities. Randy Wittwer, LPOSD director of technology, recently delivered his opinion of potential tech upgrades that could make all the difference in the event of a crisis.

According to Wittwer’s recommendations, the improvements fall into three descending priorities. First, each school building needs to have a clear line-of-sight between the administrative office and the front door. As the communication hub for the entire school, it’s essential that those in the front office can see everything that happens in the primary entrance. The priority list indicates that four facilities, which are unidentified for security purposes, require alterations for unrestricted viewing.

The second priority is to ensure that messages can be delivered effectively in the event of a lockdown. Wittwer’s recommendations specify that the notification system be able to communicate to both indoor and outdoor locations. Ten different sites require attention in this respect.

In addition, a careful inspection of all school facilities within the last few months produced a list of faulty lockdown hardware — items like intercoms, wiring, locks and other important security measures. According to Woodward, all items deemed faulty are in the process of being replaced.

“We had a big upgrade of lockdown hardware a few years back, but some areas were missed,” Woodward said. “So lockdown hardware is probably the biggest thing we’re focusing on.”

The final priority involves upgrades to facilities like Sandpoint High School with security cameras networks installed. The proper server and software enhancements could yield a variety of improvements, according to the priority list. For example, the ability to access camera footage remotely could be a major resource in the event of an emergency.